20 Years of Mobilee: A Long View From The Dancefloor With Ralf Kollmann
Wed Jan 14 2026
When scenes move faster than structures can hold, what makes an independent dance label a twenty-year outlier?
Co-founder of Mobilee Records, Ralf Kollmann reflects on two decades at the heart of electronic music, navigating seismic shifts in technology, culture, and the economics of independent labels. Recorded in Berlin during Mobilee’s 20th anniversary year, this conversation traces a long view from the dancefloor, from collective beginnings with Anja Schneider, and genre-fluid curation, to the pressures facing labels and artists today.
With characteristic honesty, Ralf explores what has changed, what has endured, and why patience, timing, and restraint have become radical tools in an industry increasingly driven by volume, visibility, and constant output. It’s a conversation about longevity over momentum, intuition over noise, and building structures that can survive more than a moment.
“Survival isn’t about chasing trends. It’s about knowing when to move, and when to pause.” - Ralf Kollmann
Join us as we explore:
✅ What it takes to sustain an independent label across 20 years
✅ Why collectives form, evolve, and sometimes dissolve
✅ Timing, trust, and the human side of A&R decisions
✅ The pressure of constant output in the streaming era
✅ Revisiting the catalogue over chasing the next release
✅ Immersive audio, Dolby Atmos, and the question of adoption
➤ Follow us at:
Instagram: @missionmakers
Instagram: @dj.n1nja
TikTok: @dj_n1nja
Soundcloud: @dj-ninja
➤ Credits:
Music: Mission Makers - N1NJA (Unreleased)
Producer: Farah Nanji
➤ For show notes + more on our host visit:
https://mission-makers.com/
https://www.dj-ninja.com/
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When scenes move faster than structures can hold, what makes an independent dance label a twenty-year outlier? Co-founder of Mobilee Records, Ralf Kollmann reflects on two decades at the heart of electronic music, navigating seismic shifts in technology, culture, and the economics of independent labels. Recorded in Berlin during Mobilee’s 20th anniversary year, this conversation traces a long view from the dancefloor, from collective beginnings with Anja Schneider, and genre-fluid curation, to the pressures facing labels and artists today. With characteristic honesty, Ralf explores what has changed, what has endured, and why patience, timing, and restraint have become radical tools in an industry increasingly driven by volume, visibility, and constant output. It’s a conversation about longevity over momentum, intuition over noise, and building structures that can survive more than a moment. “Survival isn’t about chasing trends. It’s about knowing when to move, and when to pause.” - Ralf Kollmann Join us as we explore: ✅ What it takes to sustain an independent label across 20 years ✅ Why collectives form, evolve, and sometimes dissolve ✅ Timing, trust, and the human side of A&R decisions ✅ The pressure of constant output in the streaming era ✅ Revisiting the catalogue over chasing the next release ✅ Immersive audio, Dolby Atmos, and the question of adoption ➤ Follow us at: Instagram: @missionmakers Instagram: @dj.n1nja TikTok: @dj_n1nja Soundcloud: @dj-ninja ➤ Credits: Music: Mission Makers - N1NJA (Unreleased) Producer: Farah Nanji ➤ For show notes + more on our host visit: https://mission-makers.com/ https://www.dj-ninja.com/